In a stellar performance, Shubman Gill anchored India’s innings with an unbeaten 101, leading the team to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh as both sides kicked off their Champions Trophy campaigns on Thursday in Dubai.
Chasing a challenging target of 229 on a pitch that proved difficult for batting, India successfully reached their goal with 21 balls to spare, thanks in large part to Gill’s second consecutive ODI century.
Pace spearhead Mohammed Shami was instrumental in setting up the win, claiming figures of 5-53. His early spell devastated the Bangladesh batting lineup, reducing them to a precarious 35-5. Despite a recovery led by Towhid Hridoy, who scored his first ODI century with a solid 100, and Jaker Ali, who contributed 68, Bangladesh was ultimately all out for 228 after electing to bat first. Their sixth-wicket partnership of 154 runs came after some sloppy fielding from India, which included two dropped catches.
India’s reply began positively as Rohit Sharma and Gill found their rhythm with regular boundaries. Rohit became only the 10th batsman and the fourth Indian to surpass 11,000 ODI runs before being dismissed for 41 by Taskin Ahmed. The crowd welcomed Virat Kohli, who faced a tough start, taking 10 balls to score his first run and eventually finishing with 22 after mis-timing a cut shot to backward point off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.
As India faced some pressure at 144-4 following the dismissals of Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer, Gill remained composed. He formed a crucial unbeaten partnership of 87 runs with KL Rahul, who contributed a steady 41 not out. Rahul was fortunate to survive an early drop by Jaker at deep mid-wicket, and from that point, India never looked back, with Gill achieving his eighth ODI century.
This victory marks a promising start for India in the tournament, showcasing their depth and resilience in the face of early challenges.
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